Making Love Out of (Almost) Nothing At All for the Pixel Fan ⭐

Google launched its 2026 Pixel devices today, and it’s no surprise that the updates are minor at best. But thanks to the ongoing component crisis and the resulting cost increases, Google has made subtle changes to the new lineup across the board. And this is giving me throwback vibes to the dark days of the Pixel 4 and 5 series, when the company stopped paying for expensive flagship Snapdragon chips ahead of the availability of its first Tensor CPUs. But this isn’t about doing more with less. It’s about doing less and spending more.

I know that sounds unfair, and there is some good news here. But there is also bad news here, too much bad news. And that good news, such as it is, is mostly minor in nature.

Here’s what’s happening.

Pixel phones are $100 more per model than was the case one year ago. Samsung announced new folding phones a month ago with higher prices than the equivalent devices a year ago, and Apple will soon announce more expensive iPhone models, including its first-ever foldable iPhone. So all eyes were on Google this week to see where the new Pixels would land from a cost perspective. And here’s your answer: The Pixel 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL, and 11 Pro Fold are each $100 more expensive than the devices they replace. Which isn’t all that bad, honestly. Except for …

Base Pixel Pro models get only 12 GB of RAM, a downgrade from last year. The Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro now start with 256 GB of RAM, compared to 128 GB last year, and that makes the $100 price increase a bit easier to take. But the base Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL now come with just 12 GB of RAM, compared to 16 GB of RAM last year. To get 16 GB of RAM with these devices, you need to upgrade to 512 GB of storage, which raises the price by $120 in each case. (The Pixel 11 Pro Fold comes with 16 GB of RAM in all configurations.) And 512 GB is all you can get: For all Pro models, there are no 1 TB or larger storage configurations at any price. Given the performance issues with Tensor as-is, the RAM decrease in the Pro models is particularly problematic: Tensor is allegedly optimized for AI, but AI needs RAM to do its thing.

Pixel Watch 5 is $50 more expensive than Pixel Watch 4. In keeping with the phone price increases, the Pixel Watch 5 is $50 more than its equivalent predecessor as well. Physically, the new Pixel Watch looks identical to its predecessor, and it uses the same weird charging connector. There are a few new features, which we can expect to come to older Pixel Watch models in the months ahead. And there is a small internal upgrade, with the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 processor and more RAM. And new colors, of course, plus a satin pyrite aluminum build for the $580 (!) Stephen Curry edition and the less expensive olive-colored Pixel Watch 3s. Whatever that means.

The Google AI Pro offer is cut from 12 months to 6 months for Pro models. With Gemini hitting one billion monthly users, it’s perhaps not surprising that Google is killing one of the strategies it used to get there: Where previous Pixel phone purchases included a free year of Google AI Pro, a $240 value (at $20 per month normally), that’s no longer the case. If you buy a Pixel 11 Pro, Pro XL, or Pro Fold, you will get 6 months of Google AI Pro for free. But if you buy a base Pixel 11, you get nothin’.

Google finally announced an Apple AirTag competitor. But … Pixel Tag is a belated competitor to AirTag, and though it comes in a smaller and thinner ovoid shape and has a user-replaceable battery with one year of battery life, there are issues. It makes the same mistake as AirTag by not having a hole so you can secure it on a keychain or elsewhere, though Google showed off a case that includes that necessary feature. It will cost $30 individually or $100 for a four-pack, which is OK. But it won’t ship until November 2026. For some reason. This is a small thing, I know. But not really: The Pixel ecosystem has always lagged Apple’s, and this stands out as one missing piece in that puzzle. It just feels like Google isn’t committed to fully taking on Apple, and if it isn’t, why would fans even bet on this ecosystem? And speaking of a lack of commitment …

There’s still no Pixel Buds Pro 3. Google released the Pixel Buds Pro 2 in late 2024 with a $229 price tag, and it punted in 2025 by just releasing a new color, Moonstone, to match the Pixel 10 series phones. Well, it’s punting again. For the Pixel 11 series, there’s another new color, Olive, to match the new devices, but there’s no Pixel Buds Pro 3. In the good news department, the price is unchanged–in fact, Pixel Buds Pro 3 are on sale right at the Google Store for $189–and Google promises to release new software features for the earbuds, like Dynamic ANC (active noise cancelation) and Sleep Sync. That’s all well and good, but the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are outperformed by Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 in every way imaginable (ANC, battery life, etc.), and a hardware upgrade is perhaps overdue.

There’s not even a hint of a new smart display. Google finally refreshed its smart speaker lineup with a new Google Home Speaker a few months ago. That’s OK at best; it’s more of a mini-speaker than a bookshelf-type speaker, and the decision makers at Sonos are probably still laughing about its sound quality. But Google’s smart displays are disgracefully behind, and with Apple set to finally release its first smart display in a few months, the bar is about to be raised. The Google Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max that Google is still selling are five and seven years old now, respectively. And yes, I know Google Home and Pixel are sort of not the same thing, but come on. They are part of the same ecosystem, and the smart display is yet another missing piece in that puzzle. The clock is ticking.

Google was somehow caught flat-footed by the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold looks nearly identical to its predecessor, which would be fine if the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 didn’t exist. This newly announced foldable offers a stunning widescreen design that’s so popular Samsung had to order an additional one million units built to meet the launch demand. And Google, as Samsung’s primary partner in this space, had to know this device was coming well in advance, and yet its response was … more of the same. Google is a minor player in foldables as it is, just as it is in smartphones in general, but it’s not even trying to meet the minimum bar set by Microsoft Surface and try to create reference designs for the most popular form factors. Instead, it’s just a follower. Given the history, you can expect an ultra-wide Pixel foldable in two or three years, just in time for Samsung to innovate with the next popular form factor. Round and round we go.

The camera upgrades are perhaps more minor than ever. One of the things I examine closely each year with Apple, Google, and Samsung phone upgrades is how (or if) the camera systems change. Most of these upgrades are minor year-over-year, and yet I often get sucked in by even minor changes, particularly with Pixel and iPhone. But the Pixel 11 series camera upgrades are notably lackluster. The Pro phones get 120X Super Zoom, up from 100X on the Pixel 11 Pros. And the base Pixel 11 sports 30X digital zoom, up from 20X. Given that both of the upper limits were unusable/pointless a year ago, this means almost nothing. There are some other minor new software upgrades, yes, but we can expect them to come to Pixel 10 series phones soon. The sore point here, really, is the lack of meaningful hardware upgrades. The main lens, ultrawide lens, and telephoto lens are identical on the Pros year-over-year (with the small exception of the main lens getting a slightly larger sensor), as is the selfie camera. That’s not just boring; it’s inexcusable.

I want to give Google a pass in some ways because I love Pixel, the component crisis isn’t Pixel’s fault, and its status as a boutique phone maker doesn’t give it special access to better component pricing or availability. But Google is responsible for the component crisis, right? It’s one of three big hyperscalers maniacally overspending on AI infrastructure now, and it’s doing that to maintain its market dominance with full knowledge that this insanity will never pay off financially. That scorched earth strategy makes these minor Pixel upgrades–and, in some cases, steps backward–a lot harder to take.

Again, there are things to like here. But in keeping with the whole Pixel vibe, they’re minor. I like the new colors, especially Olive. I’ve always liked the modern Pixel design language with the pronounced camera bar that gives it a unique look and feel. The wireless charging speed on the Pro models is 29 or 17 percent faster (Pro vs. Pro XL) without needing (or getting) a PixelSnap upgrade. The HiLight feature on the Pro models is potentially interesting, as it will provide a heads-up when the phone is upside down, which I use to silence notifications. And … that’s about it.

In short, I’m reaching here. I’m sure any Pixel fan can relate.